Tonight, Gennady Golovkin faces David Lemieux, live on HBO PPV. Bloody Elbow will have live fight night coverage right here starting at 9:00 p.m. ET. Get ready for the fight with this GGG vs. Lemieux fight preview, as we break down the skills of each fighter.
OFFENSE
Nine times out of ten, when David Lemieux steps in to the ring, this category goes to him. That's due to the combination of his KO power, and his willingness to engage with his opponent in the way best suited for Lemieux to deliver that power. But this is that tenth fight. Golovkin gets the edge in this category against every single opponent he could conceivably face - in fact the only man in boxing today who I would say is better offensively is about 50 pounds lighter (and fighting tonight). GGG has the power Lemieux possesses, but he combines it with boxing technique that is often somewhat overlooked. Yes, Golovkin is likely going to land a bomb and knock you out - that's what he does. But to get there, he's going to set it up nicely with effective, and still very hard-hitting, boxing. He's one of the best in the game today in this area, though Lemieux clearly brings a threat here to GGG.
Advantage: Golovkin
DEFENSE
Golovkin gets the easy nod on this one just based on each man's style. As outlined above, he's the more technical boxer of the two to Lemieux's somewhat more dogfight-based style. But interestingly neither man is huge in the defense department. As big KO punchers, they both are willing to take one to land one - it's just that in Lemieux's case, he's willing to take 3 to land one. They are both hittable fighters, and both have shown good chins. GGG in particular has gotten really cleanly hit a few times to seemingly no effect whatsoever. Of course it's also true that he's never been hit by a David Lemieux (and the reverse is true as well). I appreciate the iron in GGG's chin, but if Lemieux does land a good shot, it will be a massive test of that iron - one we have not yet seen. That means that while Golovkin may have the edge here, it't not a strong enough aspect of his game to ensure that he's in no danger tonight.
Advantage: Golovkin
OVERALL
It's hard to find any one area where Lemieux has the advantage tonight. Golovkin is the harder puncher (admittedly, not all will agree with that statement, but I stick by it), he's the better technical boxer, he has better defense, a better chin, and better experience. All that said, the door is open for a Lemieux upset, as you can never count a power puncher out of a fight, particularly when he is fighting a man who has been hit. It's not an easy road for Lemieux to get there, and frankly I don't think he will, but don't be fooled into thinking this is a Mayweather/Berto style mismatch.
Prediction: Gennady Golovkin by somewhat early KO